Celebrity News Media: APRA MUSIC AWARDS PRESENTERS AND PERFORMERS ANNOUNCED, MARY LOPEZ AM TO RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS TED ALBERT AWARD

With the red carpet set to roll out in just over a week, the 2012 APRA MUSIC AWARDS are the grand finale to Song Summit 2012 and will be held on the closing night of the three-day music industry expo on Monday May 28th at the Parkside Ballroom, Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Along with details of special Music Awards guest presenters and performers, APRA (Australasian Performing Right Association) is proud to announce that MARY LOPEZ AM will receive the Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music at the 2012 APRA Music Awards.

Chosen by the APRA Board of Writer and Publisher Directors, the TED ALBERT AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICES TO AUSTRALIAN MUSIC has been bestowed upon some of Australia’s most respected music industry heavyweights including Don Burrows, Michael Chugg, Slim Dusty, Triple J, Bill Armstrong, Angus & Malcolm Young, Roger Davies, Denis Handlin AM, the late Jimmy Little and last year’s recipient Paul Kelly for their contribution in shaping and developing the Australian music landscape.

A highly respected talent consultant committed to finding ways to develop and showcase talented Australians of all ages, MARY LOPEZ is also committed to leveling the playing field, working hard to ensure that all aspiring and talented young Australians are given an equal opportunity to follow their music and entertainment dreams. Her love for, and admiration of, the performers she has mentored shines through in the success of the almost 60 significant and spectacular productions she has staged over her career, including the Schools Spectacular which she directed for 25 years. Mary has been responsible for dozens of other major public events including ‘An Australian Christmas’ at Darling Harbour, the NSW Premier’s Concert, the World Indigenous People’s Conference Opening and Closing Ceremonies and many more.

Mary’s passion for promoting and nurturing talented young people led her to co-found the Talent Development Project (TDP) in 1991, a widely respected music industry training program which prepares gifted young performers for careers in the music and entertainment industry. She has been the Artistic Director of this unique scheme since its inception. Mary’s ability to identify the potential in young performers has been shown by the success of the program. Star TDP graduates include recording artists Human Nature, Angus & Julia Stone and Paulini, Music Director and Composer John Foreman, Hi 5 star Nathan Foley, Jazz singer Emma Pask and a host of award-winning country music performers including Darren Coggan, Felicity Urquhart, Drew McAlister, Jedd Hughes, Travis Collins and The McClymonts. Mary’s success also lies in her use of the TDP and the Schools Spectacular to provide a level playing field for disadvantaged young performers. As a result, ATSI (Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander) students, and those with mental or physical disabilities are now being given a chance to excel, regardless of their circumstances.

Mary’s development of talented young Australian entertainers and her contribution to the performing arts was recognised by her appointment as a member of the Order of Australia, one of this country’s highest honours. In 2007, she received the Variety Humanitarian of the Year Award and in 2010 her contribution to Public Education and the Arts was recognised with an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Western Sydney.

The TED ALBERT AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SERVICES TO AUSTRALIAN MUSIC will be presented to MARY LOPEZ by country music singer songwriter FELICITY URQUHART at the 2012 APRA Music Awards. One of the leading lights of the Australian country music scene, Felicity is still very much involved in Mary’s NSW Talent Development Project and in between a hectic schedule which includes being a presenter on Channel 7’s Sydney Weekender, other TV and radio roles, and being the face of The Heart Of Country for Tourism NSW, she is widely regarded as one of the country’s finest vocalists and songwriters.

In addition to our hosting team of JONATHAN BIGGINS and MISSY HIGGINS, APRA is delighted to welcome YUSUF ISLAM as a special guest presenter for the 2012 APRA Music Awards. Singer songwriter, activist and philanthropist, Yusuf Islam is one of popular music's most famous and intriguing figures. Having sold in excess of 60 million records sold worldwide, and with a phenomenal fan base, Yusuf is now focusing on a new musical he has produced called 'Moonshadow' which had its world premiere in Melbourne. The musical fantasy written by Yusuf, features the songs which he penned as Cat Stevens, weaving together new songs with his classics, hits such as Father & Son, Wild World, Matthew & Son and The First Cut is the Deepest. YUSUF ISLAM will present the award for APRA SONG OF THE YEAR. Widely respected music industry veteran PHILIP MORTLOCK, Head of Creative Services at Alberts will also present at the 2012 APRA Music Awards.

TINA ARENA one of Australia’s most iconic voices, will perform at the 2012 APRA Music Awards. From her humble beginnings in Moonee Ponds and a career defining slot on Young Talent Time in the early 80’s, TINA ARENA’s inner artist emerged and she has become a songwriter with emotional experience and depth of feeling and an internationally-acclaimed singer with the ability to touch and capture hearts through song. Tina joins us just ahead of a national orchestral tour scheduled for June to August. Also performing at the APRA Music Awards will be TEX PERKINS, another bona-fide legend and founder of seminal bands Beasts of Bourbon, The Cruel Sea and Dark Horses. Most recently Tex has been channeling another legend in Johnny Cash receiving a Helpmann Award for Best Contemporary Concert, for THE MAN IN BLACK where he takes to the stage as Cash for two hours of magnificent music interwoven with the story of his rise to stardom, his fight for survival and his eventual redemption.

Also performing at the 2012 APRA Music Awards will be the wonderful BOB EVANS (aka Kevin Mitchell). Renaissance man Mitchell has had a wonderful career with band Jebediah and his alter ego Bob Evans showing his skills as a champion songwriter and troubadour. His performance at the APRA Music Awards proceeds an appearance at Splendour In The Grass under his original persona of Kevin Mitchell performing 50 Years of Bob Dylan!, where he will team up with Holly Throsby, Kav Temperley (Eskimo Joe) and Patience Hodgson (The Grates) as well as surprise guests.

With a restless creative energy that has seen him make a killer solo album, join forces in numerous projects and supergroups including The Wrights and Hot Rollers as well as being founder and co-vocalist of a little band called Spiderbait, KRAM joins the APRA Music Awards as a special guest performer. An accomplished singer-songwriter, drummer and musical all-rounder, expect the unexpected when KRAM hits the stage.

We all know her voice by now. The wonderful talent that is KATE MILLER-HEIDKE joins us as a special guest performer at the 2012 APRA Music Awards.

Following double-platinum sales for her last album (2008’s Curiouser), sets at Coachella, international dates supporting Ben Folds, acclaimed opera performances in Australia and the UK, Kate Miller-Heidke has returned with her panoramic new album Nightflight, her first solo album in three years which debuted at #2 on the national ARIA Chart.

Singer-songwriter and performer extraordinaire BERTIE BLACKMAN rose to fame with her debut album in 2004, Headway, which came after years of prolific
performances in which she developed a dedicated following. Bertie delivers pop music with depth. Her voice is seductive, her lyrics are inventive and honest and she mesmerizes as a live performer. "When I’m playing music, I just disappear into what's going on," she says.

Touted as a “human powerhouse” (The Australian) and “prodigious chanteuse” (Rolling Stone), ascendant pop songstress SOPHIA BROUS (known as BROUS) brings to the APRA Music Awards an uncompromising vision for pop. Her songs evoke the widescreen majesty of Scott Walker and classic melodies of Morricone's Mina - unforgettable choruses crowned by Brous' extraordinarily expressive voice.

Performing live at the 2012 APRA Music Awards is RUSSELL MORRIS, one of Australia's most enduring singers. A major pop star in the late '60s, he went on to become one of the country's first singer-songwriters scoring five Australian Top 10 singles during the late 1960s and early 1970s. On 1 July 2008, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) recognised Morris' iconic status when he was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame.

Sydney outfit PVT has established themselves as a beacon of the Sydney music scene – awarded best local release of the decade by FBi Radio. Renowned for their live performances, the trio have approached recording as an ‘opportunity to create new space on stage’. They harness all their power for a special performance at the APRA Music Awards.

The 2012 APRA Music Awards, which will celebrate the achievements of Australian composers and publishers from the previous twelve months, will announce the winners in the categories of: Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year, Most Played Australian Work, Most Played Australian Work Overseas, International Work of the Year, Country Work of the Year, Blues & Roots Work of the Year, Urban Work of the Year, Dance Work of the Year and Rock Work of the Year.

The recipients of the prestigious Songwriter of the Year (as determined by the APRA Board of Writer and Publisher Directors) will also be announced at the gala industry event. And of course, the event will feature the announcement of the coveted peer voted music prize – the APRA Song of the Year.
The 2012 APRA MUSIC AWARDS will be filmed by subscription television partner MAX for a special that will be broadcast exclusively on MAX on TUESDAY 12TH JUNE at 8.00PM along with an encore presentation at 10.30am on THURSDAY JUNE 14TH. Featuring exclusive interviews from the red carpet and backstage, as well as a wrap up of all the award winners, this is a special broadcast not to be missed! MAX is available on FOXTEL and AUSTAR.

Hosted by Jonathan Biggins and Missy Higgins, the 2012 APRA Music Awards will feature performances by Tina Arena, Tex Perkins, Kate Miller-Heidke, Bob Evans, Kram, Sophia Brous, Russell Morris, PVT and Bertie Blackman and special guest presenters Yusuf Islam, Felicity Urquhart and Philip Mortlock.

CATEGORIES FOR 2012 APRA MUSIC AWARDS

Song of the Year
Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year
Most Played Australian Work
Most Played Australian Work Overseas
International Work of the Year
Country Work of the Year
Blues & Roots Work of the Year
Urban Work of the Year
Dance Work of the Year
Rock Work of the Year.
The APRA Board of Writer and Publisher Directors determine the following:
Songwriter of the Year
Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music

2012 APRA MUSIC AWARDS
Monday May 28th
Parkside Ballroom,
Sydney Exhibition and Convention Centre,
Hosted by Jonathan Biggins and Missy Higgins
www.apra-amcos.com.au